Hudson (18 page)

The first week after surgery, Brie gritted her teeth through
the pain she hadn’t been as prepared for as she thought.  It felt as if it went
clear to the bone and she was ashamed that she had to lean so heavily on the
painkillers Dr. Geldin prescribed. 

Lydia, her home care nurse, was an incredible person.  Never
had she been so grateful for Hudson’s insistence on hiring someone to be with
her.

Within the first hour of arriving, she’d made it clear that
she was
happy
to help,
hired
to help, and Brie was to stop
apologizing as if she was a burden. 

She was in her mid-thirties and very strong with healthy
skin that reminded her of dark chocolate.  Short hair, trimmed nails, and a
no-nonsense attitude competed with cheerful scrubs in bright colors that made
Brie laugh.

Her teenaged neighbor Sita came by every day to visit, check
her mail, and run errands for Lydia with a smile.  The three of them sat
together in the early evening and enjoyed dinners at the small table. 
Sometimes, they ate the meals Brie prepared before her surgery and sometimes
Lydia would cook food she’d learned to make as a little girl growing up in
Mississippi. 

When she tasted the nurse’s crawfish, beans, and rice, she
begged for the recipe.  The pineapple upside-down cake she baked was better
than any version of the dessert Brie ever had.  A cup of her chicory blend
coffee was the perfect accompaniment. 

The two of them kept her smiling and distracted her from the
fact that she hadn’t seen Hudson since the day after her surgery and Natalia
had only visited her once.

Awkward didn’t begin to cover it. 

Watching a woman she considered a friend put on a fake,
cheerful persona simply to keep her from asking questions was almost painful.  As
she paced from one bookshelf to another, she kept up a steady stream of inane
conversation. 

Brie couldn’t watch it.

“Natalia.  Come here please.”  She walked over and perched
on the edge of the coffee table but didn’t meet her eyes.  “Your loyalty to Hudson
should
come first.  I’m not sure what’s happened but I know you feel
caught in the middle.  I’d love you to take a deep breath and relax.”

The bright blue eyes that met hers were filled with tears. 

“Don’t cry,” she whispered.  “I know you’re struggling to be
here while you feel conflicted.  I’m going to be fine.  Go for now.  We’ll talk
in a few weeks.”

Natalia stood and bent to kiss the top of her head firmly. 
“I’m sorry.”  Then she grabbed her bag and left without another word. 

She remembered the day they spent together before her
procedure much like a dream and tried to harden her heart against the coming
ache they would cause.

Gabriella was not a stupid woman.  Often naïve – perhaps
even deliberately so – she wanted to see the best sides of people.  That didn’t
mean she didn’t
see
the negative aspects of situations and personalities. 
She simply chose to focus on the positives. 

There was no doubt that Natalia was torn.  She believed the
other woman felt guilty about keeping something from Brie at Hudson’s
insistence, but she couldn’t be certain. 

They sent her texts and emails to check in and find out how
she was feeling.  After three days, Brie stopped responding.  With nothing new
to report and knowing they wouldn’t tell her what was going on, her own replies
seemed ridiculous.

She continued to receive them. 

Riya and Tawny called every day and sometimes their calls
lasted hours.  She loved their energy and easy laughter.  Insisting on a few
days to get her feet back under her and manage the initial pain, they showed up
the moment she gave them the all clear with food and DVD’s. 

An entire day in their company gave her a fresh perspective
and by the middle of the second week, Brie felt stronger, more capable. 

She called a cab to take her to her follow up appointment
and when she passed Camille in the hallway, they chatted while she waited. 

Much of the swelling was down and she was beginning to see
the physical changes in her body.  The figure she presented in the bathroom
mirror wasn’t comical anymore and each day she grew more excited to see the results. 
She wore the special bra Dr. Geldin gave her and didn’t mind because her
breasts ached otherwise.

“Does it surprise you how much lighter you feel?” her
landlady asked with a smile. 

“I feel better already.”

Camille nodded.  “It will only get better, Brie.  Just
wait.  A few adjustments to get the kinks worked out of your neck and back and
you are going to feel like a brand new woman.”

Her cab honked out front and she made her way to the street
after a quick goodbye. 

Though she was early for her appointment, one of Dr.
Geldin’s nurses took her back right away.  A gentle exam of the incision sites
found that the stitches were ready to come out. 

After she was dressed, the elderly doctor returned and patted
her cheek.  “Healing is good, your body is strong, and I am pleased.”  He
tilted his head.  “You feel better, yes?”

“Yes.  So much better, doctor.  Thank you.”

“This makes my heart glad.”

There were a few new instructions, another prescription for
cream to prevent infection, and he kissed both of her cheeks before she left. 

Gradually, she started doing her own errands despite Lydia’s
distress.  After two weeks, she hugged the older woman tightly and made her
promise to stay in touch. 

She didn’t need to be babied anymore.

Lydia technically no longer worked for her but still showed
up once a day, presumably to give Brie another treat to try.  Her third visit,
she asked her why the woman was still coming by regularly. 

“Brie, I received a call from Hudson Winters directly.  I
assured him you were on the mend and wished to see to the rest of your care on
your own.  He became…irate.  Nothing I could say seemed to give him peace of
mind.”

Brie sighed but avoided pressing her hand over her heart.  “He
paid you to come.”

“I would come anyway, Brie.  I like you and I think you
pushed yourself a bit too quickly.  It took an unusual amount of time for you
to shake the anesthesia fog, your surgery wasn’t minor, and he paid the service
for a month of care up front.”

“I’m fine, Lydia.  I’m healing.  Dr. Geldin said everything
looks good.”

She nodded with a small smile.  “I agree but Mr. Winters is
personally invested in your recovery.”  With a small shrug, she added, “Another
week or two of stopping by to chat isn’t a hardship to me.”  One arm slipped
around Brie’s shoulders.  “What do you say to some daytime television?  I think
Justin Timberlake is on
Ellen
again today.”

At the end of the third week, she called to let Eleanor know
she was able and willing to return to work.  The housekeeping supervisor agreed
to put her back on the schedule but only if she worked the business office,
where she couldn’t overdo it. 

Gritting her teeth, she agreed.

Brie’s clothing fit differently without such enormous
breasts.  It fell longer on her torso and hung loosely.  The morning she was
due into work, she was careful with her appearance. 

If she ran into Hudson or Natalia, Brie was determined to
hide how off balance she felt. 

Forty-five minutes before the start of her shift, she took
the subway to the station nearest her favorite coffee shop.  It had only been three
weeks since she’d had one of their cranberry scones and signature coffee but it
felt like much longer. 

There was no rush.  She took her time walking several blocks
to the high-rise, her thoughts on everything and nothing. 

As she approached the intersection, the light changed, and
she stepped into the street. 

Drivers in New York paid attention to pedestrians.  There
were too many not to. 

She’d taken three steps through the crosswalk when the sound
of an engine drew her attention.  One glance to the side didn’t give her time
to register what she was seeing. 

Then she felt the impact and everything went dark.

“BP dropping…”

“Clear her airway…”

“Get these people back…”

In and out of consciousness, Gabriella drifted, getting
snatches of conversation.  Her body remained numb to her commands and words
failed her. 

“Get her up…get her up…”

“En route to Lenox Hill…”

Brie thought about her parents, her sister, and her life. 
Before she slipped under again, she sent warm thoughts to Hudson and Natalia. 

“We’re losing her…”

Hudson paced the lobby of his building.  A call from Eleanor
made him leave his office, cancel his day, and lie in wait for the most
stubborn
…

Suddenly, the door slammed open and one of the vendors from
two corners up skidded to a stop in front of Carlo’s desk. 

They traded rapid Spanish and when Carlo’s eyes widened, cut
to his boss’s face, then back to the man talking, the skin on the back of
Hudson’s neck went hot and tight. 

The concierge was already moving, talking on the radio,
gesturing to the man to lead. 

Hudson found himself following the two smaller men out on
the sidewalk.  That was when he noticed that Henry was
outside
, standing
on one of the benches as he looked down the street. 

They were halfway down the block when he saw the ambulance. 

Connections happened rapidly in Hudson’s brain. 

There was a great divide between the employers of the Upper
East Side and the people who worked there.  There was no such divide between
the workers themselves.  They knew one another.  Where they worked and for
whom.  Friendly, helpful, and informative, they were a network that was
nurtured and utilized in times of trouble.

Someone like Gabriella would especially stand out.

She went out of her way to notice people, to connect to
those around her, to insert herself in their minds…and in their memories. 

The shock of the truth he simply
knew
came before the
vision of Gabriella lying crumpled in the middle of the intersection as
paramedics worked over her with rapid efficiency. 

He shoved his panic down hard, ignored the automatic
reaction to go to her, and took in the conversations around him.  He watched and
listened to the people who’d witnessed what happened.

“She had the light…”

“The car built up speed…”

“That driver meant to hit her…

“He kept going…”

Hudson pulled his phone from his pocket and kept his eyes on
the woman he should have warned.  The woman he should have protected. 

“Hollow.”

“I need you to get traffic camera recordings for the last
ten minutes.  I need every car, every face in the crowd.”

“Intersection.” 

“Fifth and Seventy-Second,” Hudson rattled off. 

“They’re real time.  I’ll have to hack to get a history.  Give
me one hour.  It takes some finesse.”  There was a long pause.  “What happened,
Winters?”

“Gabriella was hit.”

“Hit and run?”

“Yes.  I want the license plate.  I want the footage.  I
want all the connections I’m going to need.”

Another long pause.  “Consider it done.  On the house.”

The line disconnected and Hudson made another call.  The
moment it stopped ringing, he didn’t allow interruptions.  “Meet me at Lenox
Hill.”

“Hudson…”

“Don’t ask me any questions, Natalia.  Meet me at Lenox
Hill.”

“I’m coming.”

He hung up and called his mother.  For one minute, he
allowed her to sob brokenly.  Then he heard one of the paramedics say, “
We’re
losing her.
”

“Mom.  Be calm and listen carefully.  I need you to keep it
together because Gabriella needs me.”

“Yes.  I’m sorry, Hudson.  Shall I meet you at the
hospital?”

“It’s going to be a long wait.  She’ll go directly into surgery. 
It could be hours before I know anything.  Let me call you when I get there.”

The last call was to Leonard.  “Pick me up.  We need to beat
an ambulance to Lenox Hill.”

“Yes, sir.”

By the time they loaded Gabriella into the back of the
ambulance, his car pulled to a stop on the other side of Fifth.  He jogged to
it and Leonard pulled into traffic before the door was fully closed. 

He said nothing, made no more calls, and attempted to still
the screaming inside his own mind.  He hadn’t seen her in
three weeks
. 
There was no way he could lie to her face.  After a disastrous visit, Natalia
told him she couldn’t stand the pretense.

Lying to Gabriella went against everything they believed
about themselves.

Leonard came to a hard stop at the hospital emergency
entrance and Hudson didn’t wait for him.  The double doors opened and the nurse
at the reception desk sat back startled. 

His demeanor had that effect on many people.

“My name is Hudson Winters.  Do you know who I am?”  The
woman nodded slowly.  “I have a close personal friend who was just involved in
a car accident.  She will be here shortly.  I want people, the best people you
have, here in the next ten minutes.  I want them ready to save her life.  You
get on that and point me to administration.”

Her hand shook as she pointed down the hall. 

Within three minutes of stepping from his car, he was
standing across the desk of the hospital administrator.  He restated his
demands.

“There will be no delays while you check her insurance. 
There will be no racial profiling.  There will be no bullshit of any kind or I
will make it my personal mission to take this hospital apart one person at a
time.”

The man sat down hard in his chair.  “We can’t promise to
save her.”

Hudson placed his palms on the top of the man’s desk and
leaned close.  There was no mistaking the deadly expression on his face.  “That
is the
wrong
fucking attitude.” 

“You’re right.  Absolutely.  Everything medically possible
will be done.”

“Better.”  He stood to his full height and left the office. 
Back at the receptionist counter, the receptionist hung up her phone.

“Miss Hernandez just came in.  They’re prepping her for
surgery.  If you follow that hall, you’ll find a waiting area just outside the
surgical wing.”  She handed him a piece of plastic.  “Your pass.”

“When Natalia Roman arrives, send her to me.” 

The woman nodded, willing to do
anything
to get him
out of her space. 

The waiting room was decorated much like every other.  A few
boring landscape prints, patient rights notices, and utilitarian furniture that
was neither attractive nor comfortable. 

It was doubtful he’d be using it anyway.

He paced, back and forth along the length of the room.  That
was how Natalia found him when she arrived ten minutes later.  For a long
moment, they simply stared at one another, several feet of industrial tile
floor between them.

By the time she broke, he had her tightly in his arms.

“Don’t.  Natalia, she’s going to be alright.” 

For several minutes, he held her as she sobbed with her head
on his shoulder and he whispered softly against her ear.  Every cell in his
body felt murderous and he knew if the person who hit Brie stood in front of
him, nothing would stop him from taking a life.

As she calmed, he gently stroked her hair.  “I made a
mistake.  I miscalculated.  I’ll fix it.  I promise to fix it, Natalia.”

She took the handkerchief he offered and pulled herself
together. 

Hudson told her what he knew, what he suspected in a cold
voice.  There were no tears.  She’d never seen him break in all the years she’d
known him. 

The skin around his mouth and eyes was tight and for the
hundredth time during the life of their friendship, she wondered at strength
that came at such a cost. 

Lifting her hand, she placed it along his cheek.  “I love
you, Hudson.  Gabriella loves you.  Camille loves you.”  She stroked her
fingers through his silken hair.  “You spend your life protecting those weaker
than you.  Making lives better.” 

A kiss on the corner of his mouth made his hands tighten on
her hips.

“You are not God.  You are the only one who holds yourself
to such standards.”  The words were said softly in his ear and he pressed
closer.  “Once she knows everything, Brie will understand.  She will not blame
you because you are not at fault.  She
will
survive this, she
will
heal.” 

Leaning back, she peered into black eyes that hid so much. 
“Those who love you love you always, Hudson.  It is love that forms deep roots
and it is unshakable.” 

The word he said was spoken so softly she almost missed it. 
“Broken.” 

Natalia started to shake her head. 

“She was…broken on the street.  I wanted…I wanted to go to
her but I didn’t.  I gathered information.  I made calls.  I didn’t touch her. 
I didn’t tell her it would be alright.”  A frown formed between his eyes.  “I
didn’t know if it would.  I couldn’t lie to her again, Natalia.”

She pushed back her shock at the sight of tears slipping
from the corners of his eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.  He
held her painfully hard and buried his face in her hair.

Never, in the thirty years she’d known this man, had she
seen him cry.  That he
could not
hold back now told her more than words
that this woman made an impact on him.  Part of her ached for him while another
part of her was thrilled. 

Hudson had never needed anything. 

“You’ll tell Brie everything you wanted to say when she
wakes up.  You will help her get better, keep her safe, and she is going to
change your entire life, Hudson.  All in good ways.”

He nodded against her and took several deep breaths.  When
he lifted his head to look at her, she smiled.  Only
he
had ever really
seen her true smile. 

“I love you, Natalia.”

“I’ve known that most of my life, Hudson.” 

Natalia led him to the ugly sofa along one wall and they sat
close, her hands wrapped around one of his.  “The first time I saw you, I knew
you were going to be important to me.  You were ten, I was nine, and I knew you
were different than anyone I’d ever met before.” 

She settled comfortably against him and leaned her head on
his shoulder.  He kissed the top of her head.  Eventually, the silence and
stress-induced exhaustion lured her to sleep. 

Hudson thought back to the day he met Natalia. 

Sister Dana watched the three-year-old twins and kept an eye
on Camille while he went house to house, looking for yard work.  The elderly
woman had been a godsend in their lives.  They wouldn’t have survived without
her. 

Natalia was riding her bike when he knocked on her parents’
door.  Mrs. Roman was a kind and quiet woman who smiled easily. 

“My husband has been laid up with a horrible cold.  It would
be lovely to have the yard mowed so he doesn’t have to worry.”

Half an hour later, when he knocked again to tell her he was
done, she handed him a crisp twenty-dollar bill and a glass of lemonade. 

“It was only ten, ma’am.  I don’t have any change.”

Natalia’s mother shook her head.  She had lovely blonde hair
arranged in an elegant up-do.  He remembered she was wearing low heels and a
pretty dress. 

At the time, he wondered why.  His own mother spent her days
in a nightgown.  When Sister Dana could coax her out to eat, she slipped a robe
on and stepped into soft slippers.

“You did a wonderful job; it was worth more than ten. 
What’s your name?”

“Hudson, ma’am.  Hudson Winters.”

Natalia came to stand beside her mother, leaning against the
door with her arms crossed.  “How old are you?” she asked him.

“Ten.  How old are you?”

“Nine.  Do you have a bike?”  He shook his head.  “You’re
tall.  I bet you could ride my older brother’s bike.  He left for college a few
weeks ago.”

“Thanks.  I…I can’t play right now.  I need to get a couple
more lawns.”

Mrs. Roman smiled warmly.  “I’ve already taken care of
that.  I saw you were doing such a good job that I called two of my neighbors. 
Mrs. Dorsey,” she pointed past him and across the street, “has a husband who
travels for work.  She’s been looking for someone to help her around the
yard.” 

The yard looked like it hadn’t been mowed in weeks.  He
nodded. 

“Then just past her is Mrs. Connelly.  Her husband passed
last year and her son tries to make it up from the city to help but doesn’t get
here as often as she needs.  She was hoping you might be willing to cut her
grass and run a few errands for her.”

“Yes, ma’am.  I’d be happy to.”

“She’ll need you to go to the grocery.  We thought you could
have Tom’s bike to get around.  It has a carrier on the back.”

Hudson looked at her carefully.  Her eyes were kind, her
expression gentle.  As he met her gaze, he knew she
knew
who he was and
what his circumstances were.  It wasn’t a big town.  Word of his mother and her
situation would have gotten around. 

Instead of offering him charity, she was giving him the
opportunity to take money he’d
earned
.  Even at ten, he knew the
difference and appreciated that she did as well. 

He put his shoulders back and extended his hand.  “Thank
you, ma’am.”

Her smile reached her eyes as she shook.  “You’re welcome,
Hudson.  My Dale will be up and around in the next couple of days.  I know he
has a few projects to do before the weather changes.  You’ll stop by?”

He nodded and handed her back the glass. 

“Wonderful.  You go see the neighbors and when you’re all done,
Natalia will have the bike ready.”

For the next few hours, he cut lawns, scrubbed outside
garbage cans, and swept cobwebs off porches.  The list of tasks they needed
done would keep Hudson in regular work for weeks. 

Mrs. Dorsey was a wonderful, plump woman who sent him home
with another twenty dollars and a bag of fresh-baked cookies.  Until he
graduated high school, he was the only person who mowed her lawn, raked her
leaves, or shoveled her driveway clear of snow.  When her sister and her family
moved in across the street, she became another client.

Mrs. Connelly sat on her porch as he worked and sipped hot
tea.  When he finished, she asked if he’d sit and talk for a few minutes.  She
gave him several fives from her wallet and asked him what he planned to do with
all the money he was working so hard to earn.